Sony confirms it’s working on a ‘next-gen VR system’ for PS5

PlayStation has announced it’s working on a “next-generation VR system” designed for PlayStation 5.

Sony’s next iteration PlayStation VR headset will feature “dramatic leaps in performance and interactivity,” it said in an announcement on Tuesday, and allow players to feel “an even greater sense of presence and become even more immersed in their game worlds”.

The headset, which will launch beyond 2021, will feature improved resolution, field of view tracking and utilise a new VR controller, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s platform planning SVP Hideaki Nishino wrote.

“We’re taking what we’ve learned since launching PS VR on PS4 to develop a next-gen VR system that enhances everything from resolution and field of view to tracking and input,” he explained.

“It will connect to PS5 with a single cord to simplify setup and improve ease-of-use, while enabling a high-fidelity visual experience.”

Nishino claimed that the new VR controller would incorporate some of the key features found in the PS5’s DualSense controller, along with a focus on great “ergonomics”.

“That’s just one of the examples of future-proof technology we’re developing to match our vision for a whole new generation of VR games and experiences,” he said.

“There’s still a lot of development underway for our new VR system, so it won’t be launching in 2021. But we wanted to provide this early update to our fans, as the development community has started to work on creating new worlds for you to explore in virtual reality.”

Potential details for Sony’s PS5 PlayStation VR controller plans could be suggested in a patent published last year.

The 2020 patent for a ‘Controller Device‘ showed a device capable of tracking the user’s fingers, similar to existing VR controllers from Oculus and Valve.

The controller described can detect “the proximity or contact of a finger and outputs a finger detection signal indicating the state of proximity or contact of the finger.”

In 2019, another patent suggested that Sony could be preparing to release a next-gen PlayStation VR headset. It described a device that includes two front cameras and one rear camera, as well as upgraded Sony Move controllers which could feature a built-in camera too.

Currently, the existing PSVR headset operates as a backwards-compatible device on PS5 and launch window games No Man’s Sky and Hitman 3 only support VR via their PS4 versions.

PS5’s camera peripheral won’t work with PlayStation VR either and users need to request a free adaptor in order to connect it.

Sony said in January 2020 that PlayStation VR sales had topped five million units since the headset launched in October 2016